Honoring three outstanding businesses for their work in supporting Denver Public Schools!
The School Partners Program, a collaboration between DPS Foundation, Mile High United Way, and Denver Public Schools creates meaningful partnerships between Denver’s community and Denver Public Schools. Through this unique program, local businesses and community organizations (big and small) team up with specific DPS schools to contribute to the success of every DPS student. School Partners provide a combination of volunteer time, in-kind contributions and financial resources to meet the specific needs of their partner school.
For the second year, the DPS Foundation and Mile High United Way recognized three outstanding businesses for their work in supporting their DPS partners school.
The winning companies were recognized on April 21st, at the 2015 Achieve Gala, the DPS Foundation’s annual fundraiser, which raised more than $975,000 in support of Denver Public Schools. Each business received a crystal award and a $500 grant designated to their partner school.
Legacy Partner of the Year goes to a business with an overall, robust partnership with a DPS School. Presented with this award is, Western Union.
Western Union is a true legacy school partner, providing support to Denver Center for International Studies since 2008. The partnership includes a generous school supply drive in August, grants to help students visit out-of-state colleges and a unique job shadowing opportunity for students at Western Union each spring. In addition to their robust partnership with DCIS, more than 40 Western Union employees read weekly with DPS first graders via the online TutorMate program. Congratulations Western Union!
Patrick Gaston, President, Western Union Foundation, accepting the School Partners Program Legacy Partner of the Year Award on behalf of Western Union from Lt. Governor Garcia, DPS Foundation President and CEO Kristin Heath Colon and Mile High United Way CEO and DPS Foundation board member Christine Benero
Small Business Partner of the Year goes to a business that has less than 100 employees in the Denver metro area and has a robust partnership with a DPS School. Presented with this award is, PEAK Resources.
PEAK Resources has been partnering in support of DPS schools since 2011. Most recently the employee team at PEAK has worked with Fairview Elementary to help ready and sustain the school garden, providing fresh produce to families living in the impoverished Sun Valley community. PEAK Resources is a small business with a big community focus. Congratulations PEAK Resources!
Tom Brinegar, Vice President, PEAK Resources, Inc., accepting the School Partners Program Small Business Partner of the Year from Lt. Governor Garcia, DPS Foundation President and CEO Kristin Heath Colon and Mile High United Way CEO and DPS Foundation board member Christine Benero
CTE Partner of the Year goes to a business that has participated specifically in Career and Technical Education activities with a DPS school or multiple DPS schools. Presented with this award is, Campos EPC.
Campos EPC is on a mission to elevate under-represented minority and female students through targeted STEM initiatives. Their partnership with DPS includes hosting high school students three times every semester for a half-day job shadow at Campos headquarters. In addition, Campos EPC has provided very generous financial support to create a new engineering laboratory at Martin Luther King Early College as well as a new STEMSmart Lab at Samuels Elementary School. Congratulations Campos EPC!
Bob Thomure, Director of Gulf Coast Operations/Community Outreach and Tierney Cochran, Marketing and Community Outreach Coordinator accepting the School Partners Program CTE Partner of the Year on behalf of Campos EPC from Lt. Governor Garcia, DPS Foundation President and CEO Kristin Heath Colon and Mile High United Way CEO and DPS Foundation board member Christine Benero
Each of the more than 73 DPS School Partners are making a tremendous impact on our students and schools each and every day. Please join us in congratulating all of our 2015 School Partners Award Nominees!
- BBVA Bank
- Callahan Management
- Campos EPC
- Century Link
- Copper Door Coffee Roasters
- Denver Health
- Denver Tech Services
- Dish Network
- Fidelity Investments
- Hogan Lovells US LLP
- IMA, Inc.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- PEAK Resources
- PwC
- QEP Resources
- Summit Academy
- TeleTech
- The Curtis Hotel
- TIAA-CREF
- Western Union
- Xcel Energy
Businesses or organizations interested in becoming engaged with Denver Public Schools are encouraged to contact the DPS Foundation at (720) 423-3553. The DPS Foundation can help direct your support – financial, volunteer, in-kind or otherwise – to have the greatest impact on DPS students. Learn more here.